Hang On Danny
by TheCreativeOne17
Summary: Different ending- of course precious Danny doesn't die, but when he survives he becomes a different person.
1. Default Chapter

Rafe McCawley began to feel his prayers were being ignored. The grim situation seem to get hopeless. _Land, please we need land._, he thought. With the fuel wasted the circumstances appeared unpromising. He looked down at the huge body of cold ocean. Chills crept up his spine thinking of the fact of plunging in water again. He looked down for a second to suck in the fact this would be his last day.

"I see the coast!" the southern voice of Danny Walker cried over the radio.

Rafe shot his head up and looked out, it was true! The beautiful coast of China sat in amidst the water.

"We're going to make it boys," Rafe yelled to his crew.

All the boys cheered. And Rafe let out a huge sigh of relief. He looked at the plane directly next his. Danny sat at the pilot's seat.

"Land of the free…" Rafe smiled.

"…Home of the brave." Danny echoed.

Once safely over land, Rafe's engine died without warning. The propellers sputter its last rotations. He lowered his plane and intended to land it in a soft patty. But his plans were short lived when he saw a Japanese flag stand firmly from a fort. Rafe gasped.

"Danny…we got Japs…pull up….and pray that this baby will land softly!" he screamed in the radio.

Danny pulled up his plane immediately. He looked down from the plane I watched his friend dive into a swamp. _At least he didn't land on a mountain! _ His head said relieved.

The impact of the crash caused Rafe to hit the back of his head on something made of steel. He was knocked unconscious for a moment. Then his copilot Red woke him up. Fighting the dizziness Rafe jumped out of the crashed plane. Outside the warm Chinese air hummed with distant crickets.

But distant gunshots cried louder the peaceful sounds. Japs charged up to Rafe and the other four he was with. Hiding behind a large wing of the plane, they lifted their weapons and tried to shoot their enemies. Bullets flew all over the place. Then a bunch of bullets shot the Japs without warning. Rafe looked up just in time to see his best friend's plane plunge at full speed into the ground. The parts of Danny's plane ripped apart. Smoke and fire raged uncontrollably. Rafe couldn't think or move but was able to cry;

"DANNY!!!!!!!!"

Rafe ran without thinking or impulse of trying to hide from the lurking Japs. The tall grass tried reach their arms to his thighs. They tangled around his legs, but that couldn't stop Rafe.

"Danny! Oh my gosh, Danny!" he screamed.

Bullets were attempted to hit Rafe, but he dodged them and shot the heartless Japanese soldiers. As he became closer to the plane the smoke crept into his eyes and caused tears to fill his eyes. He saw a body lying on its stomach.

"Danny, oh no! Please Danny," Rafe cried.

He rolled the body on its back. It wasn't Danny to his satisfaction, but to the happiness died when he found it was a good friend, Anthony. He shook him not sure if he was alive or not.

But Rafe could a gagging noise not to far from him. Knowing Anthony was dead he followed the noises in the dark. He found Danny up against his plane.

"Danny…" Rafe said as he fell on his knees.

"I've made better landings," Danny laughed. But his laughter was cut off by a jolt of pan.

Something pierced the inside of his neck and he could feel the blood rush down from it. He tried not to show the pain but it was hard.

"I've got something in my neck." He said.

"Let me get that for you Danny," Rafe said.

He tried to pull the sharp article out of Danny's neck. Danny flinched as the object moved around inside his neck. But his eyes fell upon an angry Jap that lurked close behind his best friend. His eyes widened.

Rafe swung around but before he could distinguish who it was, the mad enemy hit him with the butt of his rifle. Rafe was forced unconscious against his own will. But minutes later he was woken up to hearing Danny's cries. The Japs tied his best friend's arms on a hard wooden plank used for oxen. His own ankles were tied in a tough rope.

Danny made loud choking noises as he tried to breathe. But every breath was hard. He took a look at his best friend, his brother to the end; he knew full well the end was close.

But Rafe wouldn't have it that way. As he was dragged along the soft grass he reached for his pistol and instantly grabbed it. He pulled it out and pointed it to the captives who held Danny. Without hesitation he pulled the trigger, the first bullet hitting one of Japs right in the head and the other in the other one's back. Then he shot his captor from the behind. As he went to shoot the other's his gun jammed without warning. Rafe struggled to get it working again. Danny watched with panic racing through his eyes. One captor pulled out his rifle to deliver Rafe's death sentence. Danny ran in front of Rafe without any impulse and suddenly he felt to large pieces of metal rush through his stomach. He tried to stand up but the pain forced him to fall on the ground painfully.

Rafe and the other boys had not realized Danny had been shot, since they were trying to save their lives. After they were confident all the Japs were dead they all looked around. But Rafe's eyes fell upon Danny struggling for air.

"Danny?" he said.

Hearing the name all the boys turned and looked at their friend. Rafe fell on his knees and crawled to his friend's aide.

"Rafe……" Danny cried in pain.

"Hold on now, I got you." Rafe said slipping his arms under Danny's frail body.

He untied the ropes that tied his arms and threw the wooden plank. Tears of pain rolled down Danny's smooth cheeks. Every breath screamed with agony. And the coldness was unmerciful.

"Rafe…..I'm not going……I'm so cold…..I'm not going to make it…" he sputtered.

Rafe glared at him, was he already giving up. Danny Walker was never the sort to give up right away.

"No, listen to me Danny!" he said fighting back the tears. "You can't die! I need you, Evelyn needs you! The baby needs you!"

Danny looked up at Rafe with his eyes wide open. He tried to consume the news he was given. He couldn't be a father, could he?

"What did you say?" he asked.

"You're going to be father Danny; I wasn't supposed to tell you." Rafe said as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Danny could feel the pain of his last breath coming. So he pulled his best friend closer to him and whispered;

"No you are,"

And that's when he slipped unconscious. Rafe immediately thought he was dead. Rafe shook his best friend and tightly grasped his jacket.

"Danny……..Danny….." Rafe sobbed. "Home of the brave Danny? Home of the brave…please come back!"

All the boys stood behind quietly and watched their friend cry. They wanted to comfort him but what could they say? But suddenly Danny's eyes gradually opened. Rafe balled as he saw the sign his friend was alive.

"Hey boys, isn't that the Chinese?" Goose yelled.

Every one of the soldiers looked up. To their satisfaction Goose's inquiry was right. And they all were happy. Rafe looked at Danny.

"Ok Danny, we're going to get you to a hospital. Just hang on, ok?" he pleaded.

Danny lied there motionless. But then he slowly nodded. Some of the soldiers alerted the Chinese that they meant no harm. The small group of peasants came to the boys' aide. They came to Danny first. They placed him on a wagon like object and told the boys they would be going to the next Chinese army base.


	2. Death of a Best Friend

Rafe walked back in forth in the foreign hospital's hallway. He was in a state of shock. His best friend was under a doctor's careful hands in surgery. The Chinese doctor was delicately taking the bullets that chewed their way into Danny's insides, causing so much blood to come out.

Both Rafe's and Danny's fellow co pilots sat in a row of chairs backed against a wall. They watched in silence as their friend walked back and forth. Nothing they could say could relax him. So they continued to watch him.

"He has to live," Rafe mumbled as tears formed in his eyes. "If he dies, then Evelyn and the baby will have no father."

"Captain McCawley, what are you doing here?" a sharp fearless voice asked.

Rafe looked up, and saw the man he came to respect Doolittle. Quickly Rafe tried to wipe away the tears that may brand him a coward.

"Its Danny sir," he stiffened. "He took two bullets in the stomach for me. I didn't want him too, neither did he have too. I just don't want him to die, he can't. We all need him, I need him!" he rambled.

"McCawley, take a seat son. Everything will be fine alright, now honestly I can't promise that. But you know Walker more then I do; you know he's a fighter. And he will not give up, until it is him time. And I have a feeling telling me that he is going to pull through and be alright." the strong leader comforted.

Rafe sat down on a seat that was directly across from the door that led to where Danny was having the operation that may save his life. Rafe watched the inside of the room as fear crawled up his spine. Without warning he heard one of the most dreaded noises he ever heard, the straight noise of a beep less heart monitor. He immediately shot up out of the chair he sat on.

"Danny!!!" he screamed.

All the other pilots jumped up quickly and pulled him back down. Rafe had tears running down his cheeks as he tried to accept the thought that he had lost his best friend and his brother.

From inside the operation room, the two doctors and several nurses frantically tried to bring the young man back to life. The attempts proved to be worthless, he was already gone.


End file.
